Crosby parents' nightmare over child molester
Nov 19 2009 by Mark Johnson, Crosby Herald
THE parents of two young girls that were molested by a 60-year-old Kung Fu instructor have told the Crosby Herald of their nightmare.
The mum and dad who were duped into believing that Peter Channell was trustworthy said they had been “naive to trust him”.
Channell, of Handfield Road, Waterloo, spent up to six hours alone with each of the two girls as he taught them anti-rape classes during private lessons at Lee Shan Kung Fu Club, in South Road, Waterloo.
He told the girls to take part in numerous sexual moves – and asked them to partially remove their clothes.
He had forced them to touch him, kissed them both and rubbed his thumbs under one of the girls’ chests after asking, “Are you wearing a bra?”
A jury at Liverpool Crown Court heard the “techniques” Channell taught the girls were “merely a guise” for him to touch them. And Channell was found guilty last week and is set to be sentenced on December 10.
The devastated mum, said: “When I found out what had happened I was shocked and angry. I felt naive to trust him because he made us feel safe. The girls had so much respect for him and were excited to go. I felt guilty that I had let the girls down. We have gone from being too trusting and naive to the complete other way.”
The children wanted to take up martial arts after watching the film Karate Kid. Their dad knew of the gym and made enquiries into booking classes for his children.
The dad said: “The lessons on a Tuesday and Thursday looked fantastic. But he did the classes with our children on a Saturday and Sunday alone. We thought we could trust him because he had been running the classes for years. As a parent, you don’t think someone is going to start molesting your kids.”
The mum added: “The girls’ mood changed and they didn’t want to go again. And then one of the girls said ‘What about that thing we did?’
“He had told them to do it naked. She was quite upset and she started to cry in front of me.
“I said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ And they said he said don’t say anything to your mum and dad.”
The parents felt like outcasts during a strenuous trial, when some parents appeared to support Channell.
The dad added: “Some people were thinking that the girls had colluded. But they would never lie and make anything up like that. I started to feel like we were wrong. It was like we were guilty of something when he brought parents to help him.”
After he was convicted it emerged that a woman came forward the night before Channell was due to give evidence and broke her silence.
She explained that she also had been a victim of sexual assault in 1977 and made the complaint 14 years ago.
She wanted to remind police of the claim after reading about the case in the paper.
The woman said nothing at the time about the assaults she claimed happened when she was just 11 years old.
She told police in 1995, and Channell, then in his mid-40s, was arrested but the matter was dropped.
But the matter was not considered in front of the jury and Channell was convicted solely of the offences committed against the girls.
The girls went through a difficult ordeal when they had to give a statement to the police on DVD and then in court on TV monitors.
The experience was made less intimidating in court by the judge and two barristers removing their wigs.
They are now doing well in their education, lead normal lives and do not talk about the matter.
The dad added: “The entire matter was devastating for me. It was horrible and it makes me angry. I feel more for the children.
“I thought he saw an opportunity with the girls because they are well mannered and polite. Who knows what he could have carried on doing? People seem not to realise that this man is going to be sentenced for molesting kids. Parents are taking a chance with him. These people don’t know what he’s actually like. I don’t know what he is capable of.
“My advice to victims of sexual assault is come forward and tell the police. We did it so that he would not do anything like this to anyone else.”
DESPITE the verdict Peter Channell believes that he is an innocent man.
And he continues to have the support from many parents and junior students at the Lee Shan Kung Fu Club, where he has taught for over three decades.
A statement from his family sent to the Crosby Herald last night reads: “Professor Peter Channell strenuously denied the allegations against him.
“He continues to receive an incredible amount of support from students and parents of junior students at the Lee Shan Kung Fu Club.
“He also has an incredible amount of support from his family and friends, who are all flabbergasted and devastated by the jury’s decision.”
The family added: “The jury have a responsibility (burden of proof) to find a defendant guilty only if they are sure ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.
“Despite a considerable number of discrepancies in the account by the plaintiff, a verdict of guilty was brought against Peter Channell, who has no prior convictions.
“Peter’s legal teamwere also disappointed by the jury’s decision and are currently considering avenues of appeal.”
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by GeneChing
